Bury Adult Social Care Reform Evidence National Policy 2026

Key Points

• Bury Council has submitted evidence to the Prime Minister ahead of national adult social care reform announcements on 29 July 2026
• The borough’s approach to supporting adults to live independently, stay well and recover at home has been highlighted as part of the reform process
• Bury’s adult social care operates under the ‘LETs’ strategy focusing on person-centred, strength-based support
• The Care Quality Commission rated Bury Metropolitan Borough Council’s adult social care provision as ‘good’ in June 2026
• Prime Minister Andy Burnham has committed to fixing the broken social care system with cross-party cooperation
• Baroness Casey’s independent commission on social care reform will now report by summer 2027, accelerated from 2028
• Bury’s Staying Well Team provides support for residents aged 50 and over to maintain independence
• The council approved uplifted adult social care provider fees for 2026/27 to support workforce sustainability

Bury (Manchester Mirror) July 29, 2026 – It has shared evidence with the Prime Minister to help shape national adult social care reform, as the government announces its commitment to end decades of political drift on the issue. The way adults in uk/local/bury/">Bury are supported to live independently, stay well and recover at home has been highlighted ahead of the Prime Minister’s speech on 29 July 2026.

How Is Bury’s Adult Social Care Model Structured?

Bury’s adult social care operates under the ‘LETs’ strategy, which stands for Local, Enterprising, Together, Strengths. As documented by Bury Council’s official information, this approach focuses on person-centred, strength-based support that aims to prevent, reduce, and delay the need for formal care services. The strategy has been developed through a clear improvement journey that was assessed by a Local Government Association peer challenge in February 2025.

The peer challenge team found multiple strengths in Bury’s adult social care provision, including a passionate and committed workforce, strong and self-aware leadership, effective management of waiting lists, exemplary integration with health services, strong provider relationships and quality assurance, effective safeguarding partnership working, commitment to co-production, and robust oversight of data, quality, and finance. These findings were subsequently validated when the Care Quality Commission rated Bury Metropolitan Borough Council’s adult social care provision as ‘good’ in June 2026.

As reported in official council documentation, the peer challenge made several key recommendations including embedding safeguarding awareness across all teams, enhancing support and engagement for carers, embedding Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion across all teams, improving website accessibility and communication clarity, and expanding commissioning beyond accommodation-based support.

What Services Support Independent Living in Bury?

Bury Council provides multiple pathways for adults to access support for independent living. The Adult Social Care Connect and Direct Hub serves as the main point of contact, operating Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm, with extended hours until 5pm on Wednesdays starting from 10am. Residents can call 0161 253 5151 or email adultcareservices@bury.gov.uk for general advice, assessments, and referrals.

The Older People’s Staying Well Team provides support specifically for residents aged 50 years and above who are not currently receiving any support from Social Care services. A Staying Well Coordinator contacts individuals to arrange visits at home or telephone conversations to discuss health and wellbeing using the Quality of Life Tool. The team assists, supports and signposts people into services that can help them maintain or improve their health and wellbeing.

For urgent situations outside office hours, the Emergency Duty Team can be contacted on 0161 253 6606. Additional specialised services include the Bury Carer’s Hub on 0300 303 0207, Continuing Healthcare on 0161 762 3119, the Hospital Discharge Team on 0161 778 3582, and Independent Advocacy through the Bury Advocacy Hub on 0300 303 0206.

What Evidence Did Bury Submit for National Reform?

Bury Council’s evidence submission forms part of the broader national conversation on social care reform. The Prime Minister has confirmed that Baroness Casey’s independent commission on social care reform will now report by summer 2027, accelerated from the original 2028 deadline. This acceleration was announced as part of the Prime Minister’s three-point plan to improve the social care sector after years of neglect.

As reported by government sources, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said:

“I won’t stand by and leave people paying the price for Westminster’s refusal to deal with the real issues facing our country. That’s what’s happened with our broken social care system, which has been left to decline while politicians pass it back and forth. I just don’t accept that this problem is too big to solve.”

Health & Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper stated:

“Too many older and disabled people are being let down by a broken system, while millions of unpaid carers shoulder an enormous burden every day. When social care fails, it affects people’s independence, families’ lives and communities across the country.”

The Prime Minister outlined core principles behind the National Care Service that government will build, including that the system must allow people to move seamlessly between hospitals, home care and community services; must be fully and sustainably funded; must start with prevention, supporting people to live independently for longer; and must have citizens’ needs at the heart of plans, removing budget battle lines between organisations.

How Has Bury Invested in Adult Social Care Workforce?

Bury Council approved uplifted adult social care provider fees for the 2026/27 financial year at a Cabinet meeting on 11 March 2026. The Cabinet Member for Adult Care, Health and Public Service Reform presented a report regarding the engagement process and outcomes for the standard fee proposal to contracted providers of adult social care services.

For each provider sector, the Council uplifted the staffing element of the fee by 5% in line with the increase in the Real Living Wage and 6.73% for those paying the National Living Wage. The percentage impact of the changes to National Insurance contributions for Employers was also included in the uplift, and uplifts were included on non-staffing costs to support providers with other cost pressures advised by providers in the engagement process.

The recommended fee rates support providers to pay their staff the Real Living Wage and continue the move towards the Cost of Care. The uplifts are within budget and look to drive the provider market to meet needs now and going forward, while ensuring provider sustainability in light of current pressures.

What Is the National Context for Social Care Reform?

The Prime Minister has set out his commitment to end decades of political drift on social care and fix the system so that it gives people dignity, security and support when they need it most. Speaking at a care home, the Prime Minister stressed the need to put differences aside and come together to find solutions, with an approach focused on problem solving rather than political point scoring.

The Prime Minister confirmed he wants to immediately focus on lifting up the social care workforce, integrating it with the NHS workforce, creating routes for progression, better pay, training and job security. He was clear that the care service wanted will not be achieved until it is thought about as one workforce, improving its strength and capability.

To ensure public voices are heard, Baroness Casey launched the Big Conversation on Care to ensure people all over the country can feed in their views. Open to everyone through a new online platform, it will ask people to share their thoughts on the values and principles they expect from a care system, as well as some of the tough questions around fairness and funding.

Alongside the Big Conversation, the Health and Social Care Secretary will chair a new ministerial group to accelerate the government’s response on social care, including workforce, system reform and delivery of the Commission’s first recommendations. This will include work towards appointing a Dementia Tsar later in summer 2026 to help drive forward much-needed improvements.

What Background Led to This Development?

The national adult social care reform process has been shaped by decades of political drift and increasing pressure on services. The Prime Minister highlighted that a failure to tackle the broken social care system has piled pressure on NHS services with thousands of people stuck in hospital beds despite being medically fit to leave, some due to a lack of capacity of adult social care services.

This has led to heightened pressure on hospital capacity, leading to too many people experiencing corridor care because of discharge delays. A&E attendances by over 65s have increased from 3.3 million in 2011/12 to 5.8 million in 2024/25, and it is estimated that cuts to social care funding between 2010 and 2018 led to an additional half a million A&E attendances a year for people aged 65 and over.

More than 50 years ago, Barbara Castle recognised that health and social care must work hand in hand. Today, with demand for care rising and more people relying on support to live independently, that vision has never been more important. The Health and Social Care Committee has urged the government to confirm that full proposals to fix adult social care should be published before 2028 and that work to implement reforms must not be delayed to the next general election.

Research led by Loughborough University, surveying around 2,800 people in England, found strong public backing for expanding access to social care, lowering the amount people have to pay themselves and funding improvements through progressive taxation rather than council tax or private insurance. Dr Anthony Kevins from Loughborough University said:

“There’s often an assumption that ambitious social care reform would be politically unpopular because people don’t want to pay for it. Our findings suggest the opposite. People are willing to support meaningful reform, particularly when it’s funded through progressive taxation and delivers broader access to care.”

What Predictions Exist for How This Will Affect Bury Residents?

The national adult social care reform process is expected to significantly affect Bury residents who currently access or may need adult social care services in the future. The acceleration of Baroness Casey’s commission to report by summer 2027 rather than 2028 suggests that substantive changes to the social care system could begin implementation within the next two years.

For Bury residents aged 50 and over who currently access the Staying Well Team, the emphasis on prevention and supporting people to live independently for longer aligns with existing local provision. The national focus on integrating health and social care workforces may enhance the exemplary integration with health services that the LGA peer challenge identified as a strength in Bury.

The commitment to creating routes for progression, better pay, training and job security for the social care workforce may benefit Bury’s passionate and committed workforce, potentially improving retention and recruitment in a sector facing national pressures. The uplifted provider fees approved for 2026/27 position Bury to support provider sustainability while the national reforms develop.

For unpaid carers in Bury, who number in the thousands across the borough, the government’s recognition that millions shoulder an enormous burden every day may translate into enhanced support and engagement, addressing one of the key recommendations from Bury’s own peer challenge. The Big Conversation on Care provides an opportunity for Bury residents to feed in their views on the values and principles they expect from a care system.

The focus on seamless movement between hospitals, home care and community services may particularly benefit Bury residents who experience hospital discharge, as the Hospital Discharge Team currently operates to support transitions. The appointment of a Dementia Tsar later in summer 2026 may enhance provision for residents with dementia, a significant cohort within adult social care services.